Was I Wrong To Walk Out of the Job Interview?

Dear Liz,

I am a devoted follower of yours and you've helped me a lot. I did something new this week. I walked out of a job interview halfway through. It was a sketchy situation from the beginning.

The people I communicated with about the interview with didn't communicate with one another. I pressed through all that to get to the interview but when I got there, the person I was scheduled to meet (Allan) was out  of the office and they couldn't find him.

They wanted me to meet someone else. They called everyone they could trying to find someone to interview me.

Finally they found Nan to do it. After the receptionist talked to Nan, it still took her thirty-five minutes to come and get me from the lobby.  If anyone had been flustered or apologetic I would have felt better, but it seemed like a normal day at the office to them.

I waited about an hour and Nan finally came out of her office. She took me into the conference room and asked me three questions:

• Why do you want to work here?
• What makes you a great hire for us? and
• What's your greatest weakness?

I told her that I could share the reasons I was interested in learning more about the job, but that it would be premature to say I already wanted to work there.

I didn't mention that the first impression the company left on me was not great! I told her what interested me about the job. As for the question "What makes you a great hire for us?"

I said "I can tell you why I will be a great hire for somebody - I can't say it will be you because you and I have just started talking."

For the last question I gave her the high-mojo answer you recommend about having cared about my weaknesses at one time but now focusing on my strengths.

Nan did not have my resume with her, or anything to write with or anything to write on. After she got through her three questions, she had nothing more to say, so I started asking her questions.

I thought that was going okay but after a short time she couldn't answer my most basic questions, and we were out of conversational topics after thirty minutes.

Finally Nan said  "I don't know whether you are qualified for this job or not, so I don't want to lead you on, but since you are here you must meet our Director."

She said she would go get him. I was doubtful because no one had been able to find the Director when I first arrived and they were  looking for someone to interview me. Nan didn't bother to ask me "Can you wait to speak to our Director?"

I had arrived for my scheduled interview at two p.m., waited until three-fifteen p.m. to meet with Nan and now it was three-fifty-five. Nan took off to find the Director.

I had been told to allow two hours for my interview (with just one person) but I had set aside three hours in my calendar. If Nan didn't find the Director quickly and bring him back, I'd have to leave in the middle of my interview with him.

It all worked out, because Nan disappeared and didn't come back. After twenty minutes I went to the reception desk and told the receptionist I had to go, and I left.

I got a call from the company recruiter today. I told her the story. She said "Come on, it's a growing company, can't you be flexible?" and I told her that I can be as flexible as heck if people are respectful with me, but these people were not.

I have two more interviews at other companies scheduled for next week and the week after so I don't regret leaving this interview, but how ridiculous to set up interviews and then be so unprepared for them!

What do you make of this?

Thanks,

Carson

Dear Carson,

What do I make of your story? You did the right thing leaving that interview, and the best part of your story is that you can feel your muscles growing!

If you look back in time, I'll bet you can identify an earlier point in your journey where you might have stuck around to take whatever abuse the clueless-about-talent organization wanted to heap on you.

I have worked in high-growth companies and maybe you have, too. Things can get crazy but people who come to job interviews are respected and valued even when schedules get mixed up.

Your story would be shocking if it were not so common. The recruiter was wrong. These people were not paying you and they treated you like a cog in their machine. You deserve better, Carson!

You will carry yourself a little differently now that you've had the experience of showing those people the back of your Levis. You don't need them. You deserve to work among people who already understand what it means to be a business person and a professional.

Your muscles are growing, Carson! They will keep growing as you remind yourself over and over in different situations that only the people who get you, deserve you!

All the best,

Liz 

Follow Liz Ryan here on LinkedIn and on Twitter (@humanworkplace)!